March 12, 2012

Fisking Sandra Fluke

Ms. Sandra Fluke got her fifteen minutes of the media spotlight the other week for enrolling at Georgetown University (a Jesuit institution) and then demanding free contraception. A bit more digging shows that she has had quite the career of progressive activism.
Fisking refers to "journalist" Robert Fisk whose florid prose and hyperbolic interpretation of reality prompted bloggers to do point-by-point rebuttals. From Wikipedia:

FiskingThe term fisking is blogosphere slang describing a point-by-point criticism that highlights perceived errors, or disputes the analysis in a statement, article, or essay.

Setting aside the sheer audacity of such a naked grab for the American taxpayer�s wallet, let�s take a look at the context of Ms. Fluke�s testimony:

I attend a Jesuit law school that does not provide contraception coverage in student health plans. Just as we students have faced financial, emotional, and medical burdens as a result�

Now, it would be one thing if Ms. Fluke had discovered this AFTER she started attending this school, but the fact is that she specifically CHOSE to attend Georgetown Law precisely BECAUSE of their policy. It seems that Ms. Fluke imagines herself as a modern-day Joan of Arc, and she picked her law school for the dragons that she could slay. She didn�t attend Georgetown Law for the education they could give her - nope, she was a gal on a mission.

On a daily basis, I hear from yet another woman who has suffered financial, emotional, and medical burdens because of this lack of contraceptive coverage.

Just how many women attend Georgetown Law that you are able to hear a different story every single day? I mean, the typical collegiate school year is, what � 150 days? If you are in your third year of Law School, that would mean that 450 different women have approached you personally and related their contraceptive tale of woe, right?

I�m amazed that you are able to find time to study.

Without insurance coverage, contraception can cost a woman over $3,000 during law school. For a lot of students who, like me, are on public interest scholarships, that�s practically an entire summer�s salary.

First of all, I�d like to know how you arrived at that number, because folks have done some checking, and you can get a pack of generic birth control pills for $9 at a Target store just 3 blocks from the Georgetown Campus. That only adds up to $108. What does the other $892 pay for? Lingerie? �Toys�? Batteries? XXX-Rated DVDs? Chocolate? Wine? Dinner and a show?

Heh -- much more at the site. A righteous fisking indeed!!!
Posted by DaveH at March 12, 2012 9:56 AM